The present invention relates to a vehicle partition adapted to separate the space for passengers in the front and rear seats of a vehicle, and relates more particularly to a security partition for police vehicles.
Law enforcement vehicles traditionally have served in a variety of roles, but principally for rapidly transporting law enforcement officers to an emergency scene and transporting alleged law breakers away from crime scenes. A partition is typically included to separate alleged criminals in the back seats of the vehicle from police officers in the front seats. Such partitions generally include a dividing wall located behind the front seats of the vehicle that forms a barrier between the officers and occupants in the rear seats of the vehicle. The dividing wall may be mounted within an inverted U-shaped roll bar that provides added structural support to the vehicle. The dividing wall may include an upper portion configured with a window or screen to provide for visual and/or vocal contact between the front and rear occupants. A lower portion of the partition is preferably constructed of steel or other material to prevent access to the front of the vehicle from the rear. In the past, the forward section of the vehicle provided ample space for storing additional equipment such as riot guns, flashlights, first-aid kits and other equipment the officers may need upon arriving at an emergency scene. Often this equipment has been removably fastened to the front or upper portion of the dash board.
Modem police vehicles not only are equipped for transportation but also include air bags for safety, radar and video equipment for gathering evidence of unlawful activity, and portable computers for accessing a variety of law enforcement databases. With all this additional equipment, the law enforcement officer no longer has the space available to store basic equipment in the front of the vehicle. Thus, the need exists for a way to provide additional space to store and access equipment.
While effectively isolating law enforcement officers from alleged criminals, the vehicle partition also reduces the space available to store equipment within reach of passengers in the front seats of the vehicle. The result is that space in the back passenger area of the vehicle remains unusable by law enforcement officers.
One solution is to install the partition further behind the front passenger seats to increase space between the partition and the front seats; however, this approach reduces leg room space for the passengers in the rear of the vehicle and provides very little additional useable space for the officers. Thus, the need exists for a partition that effectively isolates the front and back seat occupants while increasing the storage space available for occupants in the front seats of the vehicle.